I know I said I wasn't doubling down any more this year but since Josh Harrison decided to take a day off yesterday I am still at zero. To make up for lost ground (to where I do not know), I bring to you today the 4D: the Dastardly Dodger Double Down! I'll be going with one player from the old guard and next generation. Adrian Gonzalez has quietly had a very productive season. His batting average is down from where it was in his prime years but he continues to knock in runs. To boot, he's knocked around today's Arizona starter Trevor Cahill. A-Gon has hit .440 lifetime against Cahill with 2 home runs and 7 driven in. The next generation role in this 4D is filled by none other than Joc Pederson. Pederson is the crown jewel of the Dodgers' minor league system. I was afraid I'd never get to see him play in Dodger blue as his name was bantered about fervidly at the trade deadline. Alas, the baseball gods shined down on me and kept Pederson in the fold. The start to his MLB career has been shaky thus far as he has just two hits in his first twelve at-bats. Those numbers should improve against Cahill and his ballooned 1.61 WHIP. I hope that these boys in blue and white can inspire my other favorite team in blue and white tonight on Sunday Night Football.
Gordon Gecko is a fool. Greed is not good. Greed is especially bad when it comes to Streak for the Cash. If I had just stuck to my plan yesterday I'd be sitting on a beautiful green W6 right now. The United States scored more than 15 points in the first quarter against Mexico. They also scored the first points of the third quarter. Missouri scored in the first quarter of their game against Toledo. I could have just let the streak sit until Corey Kluber and the Indians took on the White Sox at 7. But nooooooooooooooooooooooooooo. I had to get greedy. There was no way that a field goal wouldn't be made in the second quarter of the Missouri/Toledo game. It was a lock. It was looking even better early in the period as Toledo's march down the field was stalling inside the ten. My W6 was in the bag. Then on third down, Rockets quarterback Philip Ely took a moronic 17 yard sack and turned a 27 yard chip shot into a 44 yard nightmare. Granted no kick from a college kicker should be called a chip shot but once that play happened I knew I was fucked. Missouri wasn't driving for field goals. All their points came from touchdowns. My streak was dead at 5 and it was a long wait for Kluber and company at 7. The Tribe won thankfully so I come into today back in the green. I will NOT fall into the same pitfalls I did yesterday. There is no way I will ever win one of these stunt days so it is useless for me to even try. Instead I have three picks that I feel will keep me in the green come day's end. Firstly, I don't feel that the FIBA World Cup contest between Lithuania and New Zealand will be a blowout for either team. I particularly don't believe that the game will get out of hand in the first quarter. That is why I went with the majority in picking that no team leads by double digits in the first quarter. For pick number two, it is plain and simple. I think the Patriots are going to massacre the Dolphins today. Miami usually can sneak up on New England late in the season but when they play this early in the schedule, it is bad news bears for the Fins. My last pick is determinate on what transpires from tonight's Sunday Night Football coin toss. Whomever has the ball first in the second half will be my pick in this Luck vs. Manning prop. I am hoping it is Luck because I feel like a horrible Colts fan for picking against them in every other conceivable fantasy endeavor. It'd be nice to get some good karma back on my side. For those participating in the second streak stunt today, best of luck. As always, HAPPY STREAKING EVERYBODY! Remember where you left your clothes.
Image Credits: Pederson/Gonzalez (mlb.com), Streak picks (espn.com)